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    Home » Easy Dinners

    Simple Curry Chicken Thighs

    Last Updated: Feb 15, 2022 • By Deborah Rainford • 13 Comments • About 7 minutes to read this article.. • This post may contain affiliate links

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    curry chicken thighs after baking with text overlay

    These curry chicken thighs are the easiest curry chicken recipe. It uses a simple spice mix of curry powder, coconut milk and some tinned tomatoes. to make a gorgeously fragrant curry sauce. Serve these chicken thighs over basmati rice and let the rice soak up all that sauce. You will absolutely love this 30-minute simple chicken dinner.

    curry chicken thighs on a bed of basmati rice with a fork- aldi recipe

    It feels like I make a curry almost every week! Simply because they're so quick and easy, and often my most popular recipes like this salmon curry or this simple creamy coconut chicken curry. And this one is no different. Here's why you're gonna love it!

    1. This recipe only uses 10 ingredients-
    2. Using chicken thighs keeps this recipe cheap
    3. All ingredients are pantry staples from Aldi
    4. Makes great leftovers

    Simple Curry Chicken Thighs
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    Jump to:
    • Ingredients needed
    • Step by step cooking instructions
    • Variations
    • What to serve with curried chicken thighs
    • Storage
    • More curry recipes
    • Tools used
    • Recipe

    Ingredients needed

    aldi ingredients for chicken thigh curry

    • vegetable oil- you can use other oils like canola or olive oil here. As long as they have a high smoke point, you're good to go.
    • onion, garlic, fresh ginger- The building blocks of any great curry recipe. 
    • chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in)- you can most certainly use boneless, skinless thighs here too
    • chopped tomatoes- you can use whole tinned tomatoes- just be sure to break them up with a sharp knife while they're in the pan.
    • curry powder- adjust the amount according to your taste
    • chilli powder- you can skip the chilli powder or add more than specified depending on personal taste. Cayenne is also interchangeable here if that's what you have on hand.
    • honey- to helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and the curry powder
    • fresh coriander

    Step by step cooking instructions

    browning the chicken for curry chicken thighs- aldi recipe

    Step 1 & 2

    • Preheat the oven to 190º Heat the oil in an ovenproof dish. (This cast iron one works well)
    • Season the chicken with salt and pepper and once the oil is hot (it will shimmer) brown the chicken skin side down so it gets crispy. Fry the chicken for about 5 -8 minutes, until the skin, is golden and crispy. Remove the thighs to a plate and set them aside while you make the sauce. 

    *Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to brown the chicken in batches. 

    making the curry sauce for chicken thighs

    Step 3 & 4

    • Drain the pan of the oil and chicken fat leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and ginger to the hot oil. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent and just starting to turn golden around the edges. 
    • Pour the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk into the pan and whisk well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add in the curry powder, chilli powder, honey and juice of the lime. Bring the sauce to a simmer.

    baked curry chicken thighs fresh from the oven- aldi recipe

    Step 5 & 6

    • Add the chicken thighs back to the pan and place them into the sauce. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the sauce is bubbling and thickened.
    • Serve over basmati rice with lime wedges and sprinkle with the chopped coriander

    Variations

    • You can use boneless chicken thighs here, just be sure to reduce the cooking time a little bit. 
    • If you want to skip the browning process for this chicken curry, use boneless skinless chicken breast and cook it straight into the sauce.
    • To make this on the stove top only- add the chicken back into the sauce and continue to cook on the hob while the sauce gently simmers for about 20 minutes. Just note that the chicken skin will not remain as crispy as the oven method.

    What to serve with curried chicken thighs

    I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible and 10 ingredients, but you're probably going to want to add some extras to serve with this curry. So, here's a few top choices

    1. Naan bread <- Try this homemade 2 ingredient version
    2. Spinach- either just wilted on the side or stir some spinach into the sauce before you add the chicken back to the pan.
    3. Steamed broccoli
    4. Roasted courgettes (zucchini)

    curry chicken thighs in a pot with lime wedges using only aldi ingredients

    Storage

    • Like most chicken recipes these curried thighs make the greatest leftovers. Simply let the chicken cool completely and store it in airtight containers with the sauce. 
    • To reheat the chicken, place in a microwave-safe dish with some of the sauce and heat on medium in 30-second intervals until the chicken and sauce are hot all the way through. 
    • These curry thighs will also freeze for up to 3 months. Just defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

    More curry recipes

    • Indian lamb curry
    • Red Thai curry turkey meatballs
    • Or for a veggie option try this sweet potato curry

    Tools used

    1. Cast iron pan
    2. Kitchen knife
    3. Cutting board

    Need help with meal planning? You can find our (Aldi ingredients only) weekly meal plans here! Sign up to receive them free every week or take our quick meal planning course and grab the blank meal planner and use all these recipes to create your own meal plans. 

     

    Recipe

    curry chicken thighs in a bowl on a bed of rice

    Simple Curry Chicken Thighs

    30 Minute curry chicken thighs are a cheap family meal that everyone will love. All cooked in 1 pot in a simple curry sauce.
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Easy Dinners
    Cuisine: Indian- Inspired
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Save This RecipeSaved!
    Author: Deborah Rainford

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 thumb-size piece ginger minced
    • 6 -8 chicken thighs about 1kg skin-on, bone-in you can most certainly use boneless, skinless thighs here too
    • 1 tin chopped tomatoes *see notes
    • 400 ml tin coconut milk *see notes
    • 2 tablespoons curry powder
    • ½ teaspoon chilli powder- you can skip the chilli powder or add more than specified depending on personal taste.
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 lime juice only
    • ½ bunch fresh coriander chopped
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 190ºc or 375ºf.
    • Heat the oil in an ovenproof dish. (This cast iron one works well)
    • Season the chicken with salt and pepper and once the oil is hot (it will shimmer) brown the chicken skin side down so it gets crispy. Fry the chicken for about 5 -8 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy. Remove the thighs to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
    • Drain the pan of the oil and chicken leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and ginger to the hot oil. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent and just starting to turn golden around the edges. 
    • Pour the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk into the pan and whisk well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add in the curry powder, chilli powder, honey and juice of the lime.  Bring to a gentle simmer, add the chicken thighs back to the pan, and place them into the sauce. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the sauce is bubbling and thickened.
    • Serve over basmati rice and sprinkle with the chopped coriander

    Notes

    1- tomatoes - you can use whole tinned tomatoes- just be sure to break them up with a sharp knife while they're in the pan.
    2- coconut milk- full fat or reduced fat works in this recipe.
    3- you can use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe just reduce the cooking time by about 5 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag Me @savvybites or tag #savvybites!

     

    THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND COOKING ALONG WITH ME! IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE A QUESTION, I’D LOVE IT IF YOU LEFT A COMMENT AND A RATING. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ALONG ON PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND  INSTAGRAM TO SEE WHAT WE’RE EATING, PINNING AND A LITTLE BEHIND THE SCENES TOO!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Winnie

      August 24, 2021 at 12:42 am

      I made this tonight. Didn’t want to open a can of tomatoes so used marinara that was in the fridge. Came out great. Delicious! Adding it to the rotation

      Reply
      • Deborah Thompson

        September 06, 2021 at 12:56 pm

        Yes! A jar of marinara is perfect here too! Love that you improvised and made this recipe your own!

        Reply
    2. Lyne

      August 24, 2021 at 8:45 pm

      Is the oven temperature off? I started at 190 as directed but it went way past the 20 minutes before bubbling and thickening, turned temp up and had to move to stove top after an hour to thicken and finish??? It was delicious!

      Reply
      • Deborah Thompson

        September 06, 2021 at 12:48 pm

        There could have been a few reasons for this, maybe the oven wasn't preheated or maybe the lid was on the pan while it was in the oven? I'm happy it worked out in the end that you loved the recipe!

        Reply
    3. Paul Gilbert

      February 04, 2022 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Deborah! Thanks for this wonderful recipe it’s so simple & absolutely delicious . (And I'm very particular) I will most certainly be making it again. I’ve shared it to my friends x

      Reply
      • Deborah Rainford

        February 05, 2022 at 2:30 pm

        Thank you so much, Paul! So happy to see this. And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. It's very appreciated!

        Reply
    4. Leslie McAvoy

      February 22, 2022 at 1:03 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is really good and fairly fast, but the cooking time is off. Browned chicken is not cooked, it's raw in the middle. I bumped the temp up to 325 and cooked for 30 minutes not 20. No chicken will cook all the way at less than 325 in 20 minutes. I would recommend using a meat thermometer until it reaches 165. Your bake temp is off and cook time is off, other than that the recipe is great!

      Reply
      • Deborah Rainford

        February 22, 2022 at 4:29 pm

        Thanks so much for the comment, Leslie. The temperature in the recipe is 190ºC which works out to 375ºf. If your oven was on 325f that would definitely equate to the 10-minute cooking difference. Cooking times are always a rough guide due to the variance in ovens. Some people's ovens will run hotter than others or a little cooler. So yes, a meat thermometer is always a good idea, as is an oven thermometer so you can see if your oven is running a little cool. And if your sauce is made the way the recipe states, it will be at a simmer which will be hot enough to finish cooking the chicken in the hot oven during the allotted 20 minutes. Hope that helps. And I'm really happy you loved the recipe.

        Reply
    5. Chris

      April 14, 2022 at 7:13 pm

      5 stars
      really tasty. I will make this again

      Reply
      • Deborah Rainford

        April 19, 2022 at 12:04 pm

        Thanks so much, Chris! And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. Its so appreciated!

        Reply
    6. Sheila

      June 30, 2022 at 7:48 am

      5 stars
      These chicken thighs make an appearance weekly on our dinner table! Great recipe. Thank you!

      Reply
    7. Nina

      August 10, 2022 at 3:34 pm

      5 stars
      These curry chicken thighs were out of this world! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Deborah Rainford

        August 12, 2022 at 10:47 am

        Such a great recipe! My whole family loves this one!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Deborah! Savvy Bites was created to answer the question "what's for dinner?" It's a place where fresh, (mostly) healthy, everyday recipes are made with inexpensive and common ingredients from Aldi UK.

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